Zim Girl's 2nd Big Year 2019

[Galana]

Good to see the progress.

[Zim Girl]

Thank you very much @TonyQ, @Soukous, @Peter Connan and @Galana

I managed 110 UK birds last year so I would really like to beat that.  I never thought I would say this but roll on Autumn!

[xelas]

Congratulatins on #100!

[PeterHG]

Congratulations on the UK #100!

[Alex Rogers]

Congrats on 100! Some lovely pics, and a cool story re the term hatchery at Preston - interesting read. 

[michael-ibk]

Congratulations on #100 Angie, well done! Particularly like the Arctic Tern, a bird I have never seen.

[Zim Girl]

Thank you @PeterHG, @Alex Rogers and @michael-ibk

Welcome back from Gabon, Michael, looks like you had a great time judging by your FB pics.

[Zim Girl]

Another regular from the back garden.  The juvenile in the 3rd picture sadly had a damaged wing.  We saw it for a couple of days running around the garden and feeding ok but no sight of it after that, so hope it survived.

 

104. (UK 102)  Song Thrush

 

Back garden  -  13/02/19

Back garden  -  10/07/19

 

[Zim Girl]

I have been holding onto these pictures for a while.  Every now and then I go back to them and try and make one a Willow Warbler, but I think I will now admit defeat and call them all a Chiffchaff.  Of course, if anyone disagrees.......

 

105. (UK 103)  Chiffchaff

Whitbarrow NNR, South Cumbria  -  13/04/19 

Marton Mere  -  30/04/19

Marton Mere  -  06/06/19 

 

 

 

 

[TonyQ]

Very difficult! Did you hear any of them sing or call? The most reliable method.

Here is a link from the BTO series which can sometimes be useful.

https://www.bto.org/develop-your-skills/bird-identification/videos/willow-warbler-chiffchaff

I know the feeling of trying to make it a WIllow Warbler

THere is a story of a well known warbler expert who was doing some catching and ringing of birds. They caught a bird, measured the primaries, measured the tail, checked the legs,looked at the supercillium - "Yes, definitely a Willow Warbler". Released the bird and it started singing "Chiffchaff, Chiffchaff"

 

Legs look dark on 1 and 2 which suggests Chiffchaff. Harder to see on No.3!

[michael-ibk]

I remember that story Tony, made me smile then and still does. FWIW, all Chiffchaffs for me Angie.

[Galana]

The world loves a tryer more than the winner. It's awfully tempting but sadly I have to agree that all three would be Chiff Chaff in my book although #3  could be a fledgling WW.

However the big thing is that your integrity is unbesmirched.

[Zim Girl]

20 hours ago, TonyQ said:

THere is a story of a well known warbler expert who was doing some catching and ringing of birds. They caught a bird, measured the primaries, measured the tail, checked the legs,looked at the supercillium - "Yes, definitely a Willow Warbler". Released the bird and it started singing "Chiffchaff, Chiffchaff"

 

 

That is so funny!!  Well at least I am not on my own with struggling with warbler ID's.

[Zim Girl]

So BY has almost ground to a halt at the moment.  Not helped in the slightest by the fact that we are in the middle of having a lot of work done to the house. Spent the last few weeks stuck in the house surrounded by brick and plaster dust while the ground floor was being treated for a) penetrative damp coming from a bad leak in the chimney and b) rising damp in the living and dining room.  Coming to the end of it all for now, just over a week left of me decorating then we can finally decamp from the kitchen!!

 

Anyway I have been keeping an eye on the local sightings and there was one that got the local birders all of a flutter!! 

A Pectoral Sandpiper had found it's way onto some muddy floodwater in a field just outside our village.  So obviously we had to go down and have a look.  It was the only bird there and the other birders present said it was probably a juvenile.  My RSPB book says the UK only gets around 90 birds a year and generally on the east coast, so bit of a rarity for round here.  

Sadly it was quite a way off and the sun was right in front of me so not a great picture.  We did go back twice after to try again but we couldn't find it and now the sightings have stopped so it must have carried on it's way.

 

106. (UK 104)  Pectoral Sandpiper

Just outside home village  -  20/09/19

 

Edited September 27, 2019 by Zim Girl

[Zim Girl]

And because I hate leaving on a rubbish picture here is a lucky blue sky shot taken at the weekend.

 

107. (UK 105)  Common Starling

Cockersands, Lancashire  -  21/09/19

 

[PeterHG]

It may not be the best picture, but it's definitely a special sighting! Glad to hear your camping days are almost over

[michael-ibk]

Never seen a Pectoral, cool you found it. And happy to hear your period of "redecorating" is about to end.

[Galana]

A special bird just near home has to be a good omen. Nice one.

[Soukous]

On 9/27/2019 at 3:03 PM, Zim Girl said:

And because I hate leaving on a rubbish picture here is a lucky blue sky shot taken at the weekend.

 

107. (UK 105)  Common Starling

 

 

Lovely Starling.

Until you get close they look pretty dull, but once you are close enough they are actually quite beautiful. Unless there are a thousand of them shitting on your car.

[Zim Girl]

I have finally put away the paint brushes, and last weekend we dropped in on Leighton Moss as it is now in the middle of Bearded Tit season there.  Due to the recent heavy rains the Reserve is flooded and all visitors were advised to bring wellies.  Well they weren't kidding, all the paths were almost knee deep in water.  There are 2 areas on the Reserve with grit trays for the Bearded Tits and I waded down to the nearest one.  I waited for over 40 minutes but nothing.  My feet were steadily getting colder so I slowly made my way over to the other side of the Reserve to try my luck at the other trays.  I paddled past a few Mallards enjoying the new waterways and eventually spotted a gaggle of photographers in the distance.  This looks more like it.  Both trays had a pair on each one.  But I had only just started taking pictures when a whole flock of them descended, flitting between the reeds and the trays - fantastic!

It was hard to decide where to point the camera there were so many of them.  I am a bit annoyed I wasn't able to get better quality shots so I will have to go for quantity over quality 

 

One of the better paths!!

 

108.  (UK 106)  Bearded Tit (Reedling)

 

 

 

Female

 

Leighton Moss  -  05/10/19

 

 

[TonyQ]

Brilliant- beautiful birds, great sightings.

Just as well you had your wellies.

[xelas]

Darn, you have all the Bearded Tits in UK! Why they told you to bring the wellies when a canoe would be much better option?!

[michael-ibk]

Wow, that´s a lot of Beardeds, what a wonderful sighting! Not having much luck with these birds this year myself.

[Galana]

Great stuff. A good collective noun for Beardies would be "A trayfull!"

I love the guy in the middle of the last shot doing the splits!

[Soukous]

well done with the Bearded Tits. I'm still trying to find my first sighting of the year.